Politics
RVHA Plans Bill On Environmental Degradation
The Rivers State House of Assembly (RVHA) says it will soon come out with a bill for a law to check environmental degradation in the state.
The Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Environment, Hon Christian Ahiakwo, disclosed this Thursday, while receiving an Award of Excellence by the Assembly press corps in Port Harcourt.
According to him, the committee has released the communiqué of the last Port Harcourt Environmental Summit to use as a frame work for a bill to enact a law for sustainable environment in the state.
He expressed optimism that the bill would address some lapses in the environment, including the use of tyres in burning meat for consumption in the state.
Ahiakwo said that the communiqué also provided a platform to address the issue of gas flaring and climate change in the state and its environs.
On the award, Ahiakwo thanked the Assembly Press Corps for identifying him as the Outstanding House Committee Chairman of the Assembly in two years of the 8th Assembly.
He said the award would spur him to do more to the benefit of Rivers’ people.
Ahiakwo said he has presented over six motions and contributed to the passage of over 10 bills on the floor of the House.
He hinted that he has over three bills he is working on and to present to the House for laws that would impact positively on the people of Rivers State.
Ahiakwo dedicated the award to his committee members and members of the 8th Assembly who supports him in every move that made him stand out as the outstanding house committee chairman of the year.
He also dedicated the award to his constituents and most especially, the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, for providing him the platform that made him to prove his worth as a lawmaker.
Ahiakwo, the lawmaker representing Egba/Egbema/Ndoni Constituency I used the opportunity to call on the Rivers youths to shun violence and embrace Governor Wike’s new vision in the state.
Enoch Epelle
The Commission disclosed the figure in its weekly update for week 14 of the second phase of the exercise, which ended on Friday, April 17, 2026.
According to the breakdown, 2,259,288 Nigerians completed their registration through the online pre-registration portal, while 1,489,416 finalized their registration physically at designated centres nationwide.
INEC noted that the figures remain preliminary and are subject to further verification and data cleaning processes to ensure accuracy ahead of the consolidation of the national voter register.
With the conclusion of the registration phase, the Commission has now shifted focus to the display of the Register of Voters for Claims and Objections, a statutory stage aimed at strengthening the credibility and integrity of the voters register.
The display exercise is scheduled to hold from April 29 to May 5, 2026, across designated centres nationwide, providing citizens the opportunity to verify their details and raise objections where necessary.
The Commission urged all registered voters from the concluded phase to take advantage of the exercise to confirm the accuracy of their information and assist in identifying ineligible entries, including duplicate registrations, deceased persons, and non-citizens.
INEC explained that the Continuous Voter Registration exercise is being conducted in phases, with the first phase running from August 18 to December 10, 2025, while the second phase commenced on January 5, 2026 and ended on April 17, 2026.
The Commission further stated that the date for the commencement of the third phase will be announced in due course.
Reaffirming its commitment to credible elections, INEC stressed that maintaining a clean and accurate voter register remains central to ensuring free, fair, and transparent electoral processes in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of IPC, Mr Lanre Arogundade, informed the journalists that the dialogue was sponsored by the European Union, under the auspices of the EU-Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II), Component 4: Support to Media.
According to the veteran media practitioner, the programme is aimed at strengthening the capacity of the media to promote credible elections through factual, accurate and fair reporting.
He explained that the programme is part of a broader five-year intervention designed to support democratic governance and improve the role of the media in Nigeria’s electoral process, stressing that fact-checking and inclusive reporting are critical responsibilities for journalists, especially during electioneering.
He described the media as a central role agent with regard to upholding transparency and accountability in the democratic process.
A resource person and Director of Journalism Clinic, Lagos, Mr Taiwo Obe, enjoined journalists to embrace the evolving technology so that they would not be in the backwaters in the practice of the profession.
He advised journalists not to downplay Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their bid to remain relevant in the media environment by being abreast of the changing patterns of news consumption.
The journalism teacher explained that with digital transformation of the media industry, it had become imperative for journalists to constantly upgrade and update their skills, stressing the fundamental place of attitude and self-development and underscored the dynamic nature of media consumption in the digital age, thereby compelling journalists to embrace tools and platforms, but without much reliance on AI.
In his lecture, a Professor of Mass Communication at the Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Adebola Aderibigbe, advised journalists in Ekiti State to ensure that coverage of the upcoming governorship poll is issue-based rather than dwelling on personalities.
He added that sensationalism should not occupy the front-burner of any discussions concerning the 2026 election, admonishing that sustenance of democracy is anchored on responsible journalism.
”Journalists must prioritise accuracy, fairness and balance in their reports by verifying facts and giving all parties involved in political matters the opportunity to present their views”, he said.
According to the university don, the election will not be defined by personalities, but by issues. ”Let issues be the pivotal ring upon which every discussion should be made. Sensationalisation of issues should not be the bedrock of discussions in the 2026 election”, he added.
“Do not hear from Party A without hearing from Party B, otherwise the report will be skewed to one side and once issues of elections are skewed, problems will naturally arise”, he stressed.